Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Tokyo this afternoon on a four-day official visit at the invitation of her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

A special chartered VVIP flight (BG1403) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members landed at the Haneda International Airport, Tokyo at 4.45pm (local time).

State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan TAKEI Shunsuke and Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan Shahabuddin Ahmed received the Prime Minister at the airport.

The Prime Minister was given the static guard of honour at the airport.

Earlier, the flight departed from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 07.56am (BST) on the first leg of her 15-day official visit to Japan, the USA and the UK.

Dhaka is expected to sign around eight deals with Tokyo in the visit

"In the presence of the two prime ministers (Bangladesh and Japan), nearly eight Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) are likely to be signed between the two countries," foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said in a curtain raiser briefing at the foreign ministry here on Monday.

He said the deals on agriculture, metro rail, industrial upgrade, ship recycling, customs matters, intellectual properties; defence cooperation, ICT and cyber security cooperation will be signed during the visit in Japan.

Momen said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay a curtsey call on Emperor of Japan Naruhito on April 26.

The Prime Minister will arrive in the United States from Tokyo to attend the ceremony, marking a 50-year partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank in Washington DC on May 1.

On May 4, Momen said, Bangladesh's premier would leave Washington for London to attend the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to reach Dhaka from London on May 9.

BDST: 1702 HRS, APRIL 25, 2023
MSK